Plan ahead to boost your household resilience

16 May 2018

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​Northamptonshire residents are being encouraged to make a household continuity plan to help them cope with the aftermath of an emergency incident.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) is supporting Business Continuity Week 2018, an initiative which encourages organisations to have a plan to deal with difficult situations so they can continue to function with as little disruption as possible.

As well as
providing advice to businesses, NFRS is encouraging people to have a family or household continuity plan to ensure things are kept as normal as possible should something such as a fire disrupt home life.

Prevention manager Sara Postlethwaite said: “Guarding against fire by fitting and regularly checking smoke alarms, and having an escape plan the whole household knows are essential home safety measures.

“Thankfully house fires are rare, but having a continuity plan just in case will make a huge difference to it being ‘business as usual’ should you find your home routine disrupted for any reason.

“Think about all the things that go into your daily routine and family life, and how you’d keep them going if your home was damaged or left uninhabitable.

“Consider things like where you could stay, what essentials you’d need such as clothing or medication, how you’d ensure your children could still attend school, any key contacts regarding things like your utilities and insurance, who could look after pets or animals while you get things sorted out. A bit of preparation now will make all the difference when you need it most.”